Stocking Stuffers
by kallistra
Summary: AFTER THE DUEL. Side Story I. It is Christmas Eve in Domino City, and Mai and Jonouchi are sharing a "traditional" fried Christmas Chicken meal. Before they eat, they exchange gifts and both have a surprise. COMPLETE. R&R.


Snow fell down outside the window of the small house that was built on the outskirts of Toyko, near the Domino City suburb. A few strings of decorative, multicolored lights adorned the windows and door frame. Drifts of snow had built up around the neatly shoveled walkway. It was a particularly heavy snow for the season and children and adults were enjoying the festive season.

Inside the little house, a blond man and woman were sitting at a kotatsu playing cards. Their camaraderie was relaxed and on sight it was apparent they had known one another a long time. It appeared that the game was becoming more heated as they exchanged insults not meant to harm but merely to serve as a distraction. Finally, the man threw down a card on the table that made the woman gasp.

"Time Magician! And I will use its special effect Time Roulette to turn," he showed the woman a card with a bronze dragon, "Baby Dragon into Thousand Dragon!"

His companion smacked him in the arm, "I fold! I won't have you making me look foolish on Christmas, Jonouchi."

"Awww, come on, Mai, don't be like that," Jonouchi whined to her.

She grinned and gave him a quick wink. "We'll rematch later. I'm hungry, you?"

Stretching, he leaned back against some pillows he had stacked behind him earlier and crossed his arms behind his head.

"I'm too warm to get up and get the food, you do it?"

Mai laughed at him and kicked him from underneath the table. He let out a satisfying yelp. She stood up and went into the kitchen, coming back with a white plastic bag with red squares on it. Smells of fried chicken wafted from the cardboard containers.

"You're lucky I remembered to order this last month or there would have been no Christmas Chicken for you," she teased him, her purple eyes twinkling in mirth.

She pulled out the various containers from the bag and set them on the table where Jonouchi had recently cleared the Duel Monsters cards. In a moment of silence, she pulled out the commemorative plates and served the chicken and salad on them. Her hand reaching out to slap his hand away from the chocolate cake. He gave her a chuckle.

"You are my better half as they say," Jonouchi laughed as he said it. She couldn't help but grin back.

"You're welcome."

Jonouchi's face took on a somber look suddenly, quickly enough to cause Mai a slight alarm. He nervously rubbed a hand through his bleached hair. Standing up suddenly, he ran into the other room. She blinked, and slid out of her place by the table. He was acting a bit odd suddenly, and fears flared up like wild fire as she heard stuff being shuffled around in the storage area. She stood up and began to pace, not sure what else she should do.

They had been together for a couple of years now. She had come back from her ordeals with Dartz a stronger woman, someone able to face what was in her heart and soul and accept that others belonged there with her. Coming back to Jonouchi had been the scariest and hardest event of her life. She had feared he would've rejected her, but instead, he extended his hand to her in friendship. Eventually, that friendship had grown into love and for a long time neither one would acknowledge it. Their friends had known and simply shrugged it off as two very proud people who would get it in time, and they did. She and Jonouchi had moved in together a couple months ago, and while they had their ups and downs as anyone, life had been more than idyllic.

Stopping in her pacing, she noticed that he had stopped moving items around and was coming back into the room. Mai dived back down to her spot and slipped her legs back under the table into the heated space. Her hand pulled a small box wrapped in metallic green paper out of its hiding place in the corner; she had stashed it there earlier in the evening with the intent of giving it to him at dessert.

Jonouchi noticed a slight ruffling of the blanket by Mai's area of the table and wondered what she had been up to while he was in the storage closet. Quickly shaking his head, he tried to banish his insecurities and sudden nerves as he fully entered the room holding a small red stocking in his hand. In sparkling purple, he had written Mai's name on the white fluff and inside of it was a small black box. He came and sat down on the floor next to her.

"Mai, I know... I know I probably shouldn't be all nervous like I am but... I wanted to give you something to show that I really meant it when I asked you to marry me, no matter how spontaneous it seemed," he began to say, her lips parted in slight shock as this wasn't what she was expecting, "and I got you this." He thrust the fuzzy stocking in front of her.

"I..." Mai tried to speak but words were failing her at the moment.

He began to squirm as he waited for her to pull out the gift inside. Finally, he blurted out, "Could you open it before my insides burst from waiting?"

Not taking offense to his jitteriness and hastily said words, she laughed lightly and said, "Bursting from the inside, huh?"

He stuck his tongue out at her instead of responding.

"I have a present for you, too, Jonouchi," she said as she revealed the small box she had and presented it to him. He took the festively wrapped box in his hand and looked just as surprised as Mai about receiving a gift.

"We can open our presents together," he suggested.

Mai had already pulled the box out of the stocking and paused in mid-opening. Grinning sheepishly, she responded, "I guess I'm a bit ahead of you."

Shaking his head, Jonouchi replied, "That's OK. Go ahead. I'll save the best for last." He shook his gift for effect. Mai nodded.

She pulled the lid off the lid of the box full and looked inside. She gasped in delight.

"Katsuya..." Mai whispered his given name. "It's beautiful."

Inside the gift was a platinum ring with a sparkling diamond surrounded by carved figures of a dragon with a small ruby for his eye and a harpy with an amethyst for her eye. The dragon's tail was wrapped around her waist and her wings reached for him. Their joined hands held the diamond itself. A symbol of everything about them and the meaning was not lost on her.

Jonouchi stood on his knees, kneeling before the woman he had pledged himself to months before, and verbalized what was in his heart, "Mai Kujaku, I ask you again with all my heart, would you marry me?"

She nodded her head yes to her best friend, and he placed the ring on her finger. He went to kiss her but she pushed him away.

"Open your present, now, please," she entreated to him.

Shrugging, he answered, "OK."

He tore the green paper and revealed a white cardboard box. Opening, a question immediately went into his eyes as he looked back at Mai.

"Is this... Are you... We... I... yes...?" Jonouchi began to babble incoherently. Mai nodded her head.

Forgetting about the gift, he pulled her into a tight hug and began to shower her with gentle kisses across her lips and neck. The box fell to the ground, and a small silver rattle rolled across the floor.

"I love you," he whispered in her ear.

"I love you, too"


End file.
